A Promise to be Kept
by Elcris R
Summary: If only Naruto had been quieter,then the man wouldn't notice that someone was there and so,he wouldn't do what he did.All the adventures she went through,and the tears she shed-everything would be just a nightmare.But then,she wouldn't have met him...


Chapter 1.

It was Saturday night.  
>The citizens of Konoha walked hurriedly down the crowded streets of the city. The sun was now almost completely hidden behind the mountains and most people were either locking the doors of their shops, closing for the day or they were already on their way home. Iruka, the young owner of the small bookstore around the corner, was one of those people. It was a tiring day for him and he was relieved it came to an end. After he took a last look at his bookstore, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Iruka made his way to his car. He was a kind man. But even him, just like everyone else, chose to avoid making eye contact as he passed by the pitiful girl who was sitting down on the street, right outside of a dark narrow alley. There was no way he hadn't seen her. How couldn't he? She had, afterall a very unique haircolor- one that certainly drew attention to her. He just pretended she wasn't there. Everyone else did the same. A group of teenagers... they were laughing at first, probably at a joke one of them said, then abruptly stopped when they reached the poor girl. She must have been the same age as them-around sixteen or seventeen, but she was not like them. Their gazes turned away the instant she raised her eyes to look at them. She silently observed them as they walked away. Most likely they would forget about her in a few minutes. They wouldn't spoil their fun night walk thinking about a stranger such as her. She was nobody. And she knew, that to them-to all of them, she was something they hated to see. A couple was cuddling in front of her. The two youths gave the impression of being deeply in love. They didn't even see her. Or maybe they did, but chose to ignore her existence. (just like everyone else) Noone liked watching her there, so awfully poor, so tired, because it made them remember. Remember that the world, that Konoha, was not a little perfect place taken out from a fairytale.<p>

Still, her presence there didn't really make a difference. Perhaps for a few seconds, yes, but not enough to make them realise how others struggle every single day just to survive a little longer.

She hated that. The way they whined about insignificant things, how they complained for unimportant reasons. (What's the point in all of that) she wondered (if you have forgotten how to be a human).

Once again, the girl looked at the world in front of her.

Everyone was busy.  
>(too busy to see our world) The girl thought bitterly. (too busy to even notice people like us)<p>

It was true.  
>They were there... and yet they weren't. People didn't look at them. They passed them on the streets and didn't even glance at them. (trying to avoid seeing the reality) They weren't ghosts obviously. But they were treated like ones. Every now and then they would recieve looks of pity -they came from the children that walked alongside with their parents. In fact,it was only the children- the innocent young children that noticed their existence. She remembered the little boy she met at the park earlier that day.<p>

("Why are you sleeping here?" he had asked.  
>She half opened her eyes then and stared at the child in front of her. "Why are you wearing clothes like that?"<br>She lowered her gaze to see what she was wearing. A slightly oversized grey shirt (probably used to be black a lot of time ago) with long sleeves that reached her hands, covered her upper body. It had stains of dirt everywhere and was also torn in many places. Her look turned to her legs. Her long black loose pants were also ripped. She sighed. She would love to have better clothes -not like the ones that other girls around her age wore. No, those were too expensive for her. Something simplier yet better than the ones she was wearing now.  
>"Why do you have pink hair?" the boy asked turning her attention to him again. She had almost forgotten he was there. She stared blankly at him for a few seconds before opening her mouth to speak.<br>"...my mother...she had pink hair too...I took it from her" she finally replied slowly, her voice soft and quiet-so quiet like a whisper.  
>"Where is your mother?"<br>"...well...she's not...here anymore." she said equally quiet. "she left in a far away place...a better place"  
>"Then why didn't you go with her?"<br>An awkward pause followed. The kid was painfully oblivious. "...Well...I don't think she woul-"  
>"Konohamaru! What are you doing there?"<br>The pink-haired girl turned her head to the right,in the direction in which the voice was heard. The woman who interrupted her was now almost less than three meters away. "I told you not to talk to strangers" (she's angry) The woman,who was around her early thirties the girl guessed, with a quick move took the boy's hand and pulled him closer to her. "We're leaving now." she stated. The boy though, Konohamaru yelled at her "But mum! I was talking to a friend!" She blinked in surprise. A friend? when did they become friends? "Enough, Konohamaru!" the woman responded in a higher tone and made her way to leave, her hand still holding her son's tightly. "Wait...What's your name?" Konohamaru asked as he was now getting further. Should she tell him? She didn't even know the little boy and neither was she gonna see him again,she thought.  
>They only talked for a couple of minutes-if that is even considered talking- yet he told his mother she was his friend. It made her feel strange. "S-Sakura" she spoke up. "My name is Haruno Sakura!" The young boy grinned happily at her though she could barely see it anymore. She smiled back. That strange feeling...was it happiness?)<br>(If only...) she sighed as she closed her eyes. (If only they would continue being like this,even after growing up...) She shook her head. It was useless thinking like that.  
>"Hey!" a boy called out. She turned to him. He wore a pair of baggy blue jeans and an old, orange T-shirt that had almost lost it's colour- a result from being under the sunlight far too long. His messy, golden locks matched perfectly with the bright, gentle smile he carried, while his sparkling blue eyes decorated his oval-shaped head. "Naruto" she said and immediately, a faint smile formed on her lips.<br>"What are you doing here?" He quickly approached and sat right beside her."Why aren't you with the others?" "Well...I..." Why wasn't she,really? Normally,she and the blonde boy next to her would be spending the day-and night- with the other ones,their friends,the ones who were just like them...  
>"Neji said something to you, didn't he?" Naruto asked angrily.<br>"No, it's not like that.", she murmured. "I just wanted to be alone for a bit. To think."  
>"Think about what?" "I don't know...whatever crosses my mind I guess."<br>He looked at her as if he was trying to decide whether to believe the girl or not. Sakura was not one to lie so easily -She was so readable. He knew her for years, since they were little children, looking lost as they wandered around the cold streets every day,searching for food and shelter. She was like a younger caring sister to him. And he knew,for a fact that Haruno Sakura was the world's worst liar. Last time she attempted to lie, she started stuttering and her voice-her usually calm soft voice- came out strange. It was cute and funny at the same time. She was telling the truth this time.  
>"Alright" he finally said alongside with a small sigh. "But if he does, don't hesitate to tell me! I'm gonna beat that bastar-Ah, Hinata!" Naruto quickly put his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from saying more. As much as he hated the other boy's attidude, Neji was Hinata's cousin and it would be rude to talk like this about him in front of his relative. And Hinata was a good girl so he didn't want to put her in a difficult position.<br>"N-Naruto,Sakura..." she began. "I-It's getting late so I-I was...I mean N-Neji sent me...umm...umm... if you could come and join us it would be r-really nice!" The shy girl was now slightly blushing and kept her head a little lower than usual,her dark blue-almost black-bangs hiding her eyes. Sakura smiled at the innocent girl and so did Naruto.  
>"Alright!Let's GO!" he took Hinata's hand and dashed to the direction in which the girl had come. Sakura giggled at the childish way Naruto behaved (if only everyone was like Naruto). Hinata,however, who was taken by surprise, seemed... not so good. Her face became bright red and for a moment, Sakura was worried that the younger girl had fainted but she was still being dragged by the blonde,childlike Naruto.<br>"Wait for me!" Sakura shouted after a few moments passed and started running towards them.

He was .dead.  
>No way out of this. None.<br>He messed up the job.  
>And now he would be killed,for sure.<br>That guy never was one to forgive mistakes.  
>He knew his methods and his punishments. And they were cruel. Oh,so cruel.<p>

People were staring strangily at him. (of course) he thought. He seemed like a crazy man from their point of view...with his ruffled hair and those paranoid eyes, searching nervously for a sign of danger, like he was being chased by someone. Was he? He scanned his surroundings. (nothing suspicious) It looked like they still hadn't found out. That would give him some time to escape, to leave the city and then maybe, maybe they wouldn't find him... He mentally slapped himself at the thought of that. He knew-more than anyone else- that it wasn't possible,it wasn't possible at all. The snake-man (as he would often be reffered as) had connections everywhere. Nowhere was safe if you were considered to be a threat to them. And he certainly was one now. 'Dangerous' to them for knowing so much. Very dangerous. (damn it ) he cursed. It was a simple job. He only had to kill that man and bring proof to the headquarters of doing so. Should have been a child's play for him. So fucking simple. Yet, everything went so terribly wrong.

"Took you long enough" he stated. The man- or better say,the boy, the dark haired boy with the long hair that reached his shoulders-or even maybe a little lower- had now raised his eyes to the three figures standing in front of him.  
>"Whatever" the blonde one said. "We're here now and that's what matters"<br>"S-sorry Neji..."  
>"Why are you apologizing Hinata? You didn't do anything wrong!"<br>"B-but... Neji was waiting" the girl stuttered.  
>"So what?" said Naruto once again, this time recieving a death glare from Hinata's cousin.<br>"Enough, Naruto." Sakura spoke letting out a sigh. "It's gonna end up in an argument again if you continue"  
>"But Sakura...!"<br>"Sakura is right." Neji said, getting annoyed by the loud conversation happening around him. "Stop"  
>"Alright. But not because you said it! I'm doing this because Sakura asked me " Naruto exclaimed.<br>Sakura rolled her eyes at the childish behaviour Naruto kept. (he hasn't changed at all in those years) she smiled. That could be bad for any other person, seeing that they met rejection every day, and that alone could seriously destroy anyone, but for Naruto it was different. Even after all the hardships they passed together, he managed not to lose himself. He managed to smile everyday and that made her smile too. And that's why she admired Naruto, even if she never told him. "Do we have anything to eat?" Naruto suddenly asked. "I got hungry. Haven't eaten all day..."  
>Neji sighed. "Yes" he began. "While you all were sitting around all afternoon.." he glanced at Sakura. "I found some food for us"<br>"It's less than the other times though." A brunnette girl ,who was standing next to him, said dissapointed. "People nowadays hardly throw away anything. Makes everything so much harder for us" she continued in a similar whiny tone in her voice.  
>"Yeah" Neji simply agreed. The others just nodded at this. It was gonna cause trouble if something like that kept happening.<br>"Here." he stretched his hands forwards to show them what they got. A loaf of mouldy bread and two half-eaten sandwhiches. It wasn't much but just barely enough for the next hours.  
>Sharing the food also meant less for each one. "Better less than none!" Naruto grinned as he cheerfully chew his bread.<p>

Time was passing. Soon they would know. After all, he was missing longer than his previous missions.  
>Since when breathing became so hard? (Relax) he ordered himself. (Everything is going to be fine.) oh,he wanted so much to believe in those words but he found it incredibly difficult. (That bastard. It's all his fault) he scowled. He never expected the man to react in such a way. The majority of people would be shocked and unable to do anything if someone appeared behind them,threatening them with a knife- a knife so sharp, so close to their necks that even the slightest move they made could be proven fatal. At those times he had control. Ah,his favourite part. The reason why he found satisfaction in his 'job'. It was sick, he fully understood that, but still loved it. Loved it as his victims begged for their lives... and he would tease them, play with them - until he got bored, of course. But this time, nothing went according to his plan. The man showed no fear when he realised his life was threatened. Instead, he grabbed the chance when his predator wasn't paying attention (it was only for a second, damn it) and managed to escape. So now,that man was still alive, wandering around the streets, without even a scratch on him. On the other hand, his predator -who would be dead in a few hours- was running, terrified for his own life. The roles had been reversed.<p>

But there had to be something he could do. Maybe he could try searching for the man again... but that would take time- time he didn't have. What other options did he have? He closed his eyes and forced himself to think harder. Searching for the man would be a timeconsuming try so...rejected. What else then? Killing? Killing someone else and bring the false evidence to the snake man could work- it was still very risky though. Did he have any other choices? None came to mind, no matter how hard he tried to think. So he had to kill and then hope they would believe in his fraud. But whom?

"Hey, Tenten..." Sakura called out to the brunnette. "Who are those people?" she asked titling her head to the direction of three unknown to her-for now- teenagers. At first sight they looked like they belonged to the same category as them but, something -Sakura noticed- was slightly off with them. Maybe it was the way they behaved. Or the strange tattoo the one of them-the youngest, she guessed- had on his forehead.  
>"Oh,them? I don't really know them either. They came today, I think. Maybe just another bunch of friends who went out in the world seeking for adventure but ended up like this." Tenten replied with no particular interest. "Just ignore them. They'll probably be gone in the morning, running back to the safety of their home." she continued bitterly.<br>"I see." Sakura said still unsure of what to think of the strangers. "Anyways, you should sleep now. Rest well because I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a long day" Tenten looked at Neji. "He'll want us to help him find stuff."  
>"Oh,ok" Sakura said, her eyes still fixed on the three foreign teens. Why did they make her feel so uncomfortable? "Sakura, Tenten, good night!" Naruto smiled. "Hinata,you too!" "G-Good night, N-Naruto!" Hinata said bashfully.<br>"AH! Neji! You idiot why did you do that?" Naruto yelled at the other boy while rubbing his shoulder - where he had gotten hit .  
>"Because you are being so loud while I am trying to get some sleep." Neji stated angrily. "That's why."<br>"Neji!" Tenten called in a tone that made it clear she was irritated by the little-night-argument.  
>"Whatever" was the only thing Neji said before turning his back to them.<br>Sakura tried to sleep. It was so cold at night. She covered herself with anything that was next to her-old clothes mostly and a jacket she had once found. She closed her eyes and fell into sleep. Tired as she was, Sakura found it quite easy to do so. The alley was pitch black at that time of the day so no light prohibited her from letting herself relax. If you exlude the rough road that caused her back to hurt, she could confidently say that she was kind of used to it.

(AH! Neji...) He was walking near an alley when he heard the scream. Without thinking, he allowed his eyes to turn to that direction.  
>He stopped walking and stood there. For a moment, not a single thought passed his mind. But then, everything from before- his sick little plans , appeared so clear in his head, the words repeating themselves (he had to kill) Someone who wouldn't bring much attention to the media, because attention was highly unwanted in this situation. If someone found the body or learned about a mysterious dissapearing, all suspicions would fall upon him. And that, would be the end. He focused on the dark narrow passage. (someone noone cared about) A smirk formed on his lips. ( of course ) How didn't he think of it before? (someone whose death would bring no attention) It was so simple - the safest option for him.<p>

(The homeless).

A/N: Hello everyone ^^ Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my story! First of all, let's make some things clear, shall we? :D

1. English is not my mother language nor am I completely fluent in it. That's why I apologise for any mistakes I may have made. It was really difficult but I tried to check everything before writing it down (like seriously, I had a 1824-pages Dictionary with me all the time D: too heavy T_T) Still, due to my lack of knowledge there will be many parts where the phrases don't make sense or there are mispelled words etc. Please, don't hesitate to tell me about it! I will correct it immediately. ^^

2. I know that to some people, this whole homeless 'theme' may seem, well wrong of some sort, since it is a real life problem (and a serious one too! ) and that, having it used in a fanfiction isn't right. I thought about it as well but still I decided to continue with my idea. Even though there might be parts where I portray the characters having fun (or some others making fun of them) I will try to keep the situation serious (because it certainly is! D: ) and you have to just remember that the words of the some characters are from their own point of view so any descriptions of the homeless that sounds offensive, is because of that.

3. Sasuke will appear in the next chapter. And so will some other characters. Oh,and about those 3 'strangers' (I KNOW YOU UNDERSTOOD WHO THEY ARE ;D and if you haven't you will :P ), something big will happen around them ;D spoilers,I know.

So,that's all for now ^^ I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

btw,I spent a lot of time in this so please be nice and leave me a review so I can know you opinion :D (or questions,corrections etc.) 


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